


something to be proud of

by lesbianryuko



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Gift Giving, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), if intsys won't give them an A support then I WILL, leonie/hilda if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28533561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianryuko/pseuds/lesbianryuko
Summary: Hilda knows she’s good at making accessories, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone else remind her every once in a while.
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril & Leonie Pinelli
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	something to be proud of

**Author's Note:**

> this is my other piece for the [lost & found zine](https://twitter.com/lostfoundzine), written about hilda's handmade hair clip!! this was such a wonderful project to be a part of <3

Hilda had meant to finish that hair clip earlier—much, _much_ earlier. Like, five years earlier. But then she lost it, and by the time Byleth had figured out it was hers and returned it to her, Edelgard had declared war on the Church. Since then, there’s hardly been any time to make jewelry.

Now, though, she has incentive. She’s almost glad she never got the chance to finish it during the school year, because it would actually look _perfect_ in Leonie’s hair, almost as though she’d started it with her redheaded friend in mind. It’s a simple barrette with a few tiny yellow gemstones down the center; Hilda had intended to line the whole thing with them, creating a stylish, almost golden clip that gleams when the sun hits it just right. It’s not too gaudy for someone like Leonie with a more understated beauty, but it’s eye-catching all the same, and it would go well with her hair color. As Hilda sits at the desk in her room, feeling for once like she’s back in 1180, she can’t help but anticipate showing Leonie the final product, a good luck charm from a friend who put her heart and soul into it.

It feels good sometimes, to have a passion. Hilda has always lived her life never working too hard, never giving people a reason to expect anything of her. They have Holst, after all, and he’s damn near perfect; how could she possibly live up to the standards he’s set? Even he doesn’t live up to those standards at times. Better to never set anyone up for disappointment when she inevitably messes up.

She can’t escape it, though, she’s started to realize. People like Byleth and Seteth look at her sometimes like they’re more disappointed in her for _not_ trying. Either way, someone is going to be upset with her.

The thing about making jewelry is that not only does she find it fun, but she’s _good_ at it. Every time she’s shown someone the accessories she’s made, they’ve complimented her on it, which just makes her want to do it even more. She worries less about disappointing someone when she knows they’ll probably like whatever she makes for them. She’s not sure she’d ever show her work to a professional—that would be _way_ too much pressure—but it’s nice to know there’s something she can do to make others happy, even in a small way. Besides, it’s freeing to be able to throw herself into something she loves doing, to create something she’s proud of, to show it to others and have them assure her that it _is_ something to be proud of. The truth is, she’s not as apathetic as she pretends to be. She needs praise sometimes, too, even if that means possibly facing her greatest fear: failing to reach someone else’s expectations.

Over the course of several days, Hilda sets aside some time to attach the little gemstone pieces to the barrette until it’s covered with them. When it’s finished, she holds it up to her bedroom window and tilts it back and forth, watching as it reflects the sunlight into colorful fractals on the wall. It looks exactly as she’d pictured it, bright and lovely while not being too over-the-top. She grabs her bag and slips the hair clip inside, then leaves her room and heads off to find Leonie.

It doesn’t take long. Unsurprisingly, she’s at the training grounds, shooting arrows at various targets rapidfire. Hilda leans against the door frame and waits for a moment of reprieve to call out, “Hey, Leonie!”

Leonie starts. “Oh! Hey, Hilda,” she says, hoisting her bow onto her back. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought you something,” Hilda replies, digging into her bag. She’d never admit it, but she’s a little nervous about Leonie’s reaction. They’re friends, after all, and Hilda wants to give her something she treasures. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

Leonie cocks her head curiously, but does as she’s told.

Hilda grabs the little barrette and drops it into Leonie’s cupped hands. Leonie opens her eyes and gasps quietly at the sight of her gift.

“ _Ohhh_ , is that a hair clip?” she says, picking it up with her fingers and holding it up to the light to see it better. The gemstones glitter as she turns it over in her hands.

“I thought it would look good in your hair,” Hilda says modestly. “And it’s useful, too, if your bangs get in the way while you’re training.”

“It’s beautiful,” Leonie says, her eyes alight with excitement as she cradles the hair clip. “This is amazing, Hilda. It’s so well-made. You weren’t kidding when you said this was a talent of yours. It looks like something you’d buy from a merchant. You know, you could make a career out of this if you wanted to.”

Hilda can feel her cheeks heating up. “What? No way. You’re just saying that. It’s just a hobby, really. I could never be a professional jeweler.” At this point, she’s not even pretending to be modest anymore. She can hardly imagine what it would be like to sell her own accessories.

“I think you could one day,” Leonie insists. She sounds so _convincing_. “You’ve been making jewelry for years, right? If you keep doing it, you’ll just get better and better. And if it’s something you love doing, then it doesn’t feel like a chore to keep practicing. Even if you think you might not be good enough right now, I bet you will be.”

“You’re too sweet,” Hilda says. Her instinct, of course, is to deflect, to play down her strengths, but Leonie seems so sure, so sincere. “I never really considered it. Not seriously, at least. Can a noble even become an artisan? I guess if my family has Holst, they don’t really need me…” She shrugs. It’s so strange to think about.

“I’m not trying to force you to do anything you don’t want to,” Leonie says. “I’m just saying it’s a possibility. If you decide you want it enough, then I think you should go for it. Either way, you’re really good at it. When you were teaching me the other day, I could tell just how experienced you were—you were so precise and methodical. You should be proud.”

“I—thank you,” Hilda says, for once at a loss for words. It’s always a bit jarring, hearing someone praise her like this, getting a glimpse into how she comes off to other people.

“That reminds me!” Leonie says, dropping the hair clip into her pocket. Hilda tries not to be disappointed—she’d hoped to see Leonie try it on. Leonie runs over to where her bag is resting against a wall and starts rummaging through it. “I finished your gift, too!”

At that, Hilda perks up. A few days ago, she gave Leonie a brief lesson in making jewelry, but she didn’t expect her to finish so fast.

“Ta-da!” Leonie says as she pulls something out of the bag. When she returns to where Hilda is standing, Hilda can see that it’s a bracelet, adorned with various gems and flower petals, mostly in pinks and reds. It’s an impressive first try; other than the placement of a few gems being a little misaligned, which is to be expected, it’s a cute little accessory that matches her style fairly well. Leonie must’ve put a lot of effort into it.

Hilda can’t stop the smile that spreads across her face as she takes the bracelet and slips it onto her wrist. “It’s so _cute_ ,” she croons.

“It’s a friendship bracelet,” Leonie says. “I tried to put all my passion into it.”

Hilda chuckles. “I can tell. It’s lovely. Thank you, Leonie.”

Leonie blushes. “Thank _you_ , really. You’re the one who taught me, and this clip…” She pulls the barrette back out of her pocket. “It’s so thoughtful.” With a small flourish, she fastens her new gift into her hair, right near where her side ponytail begins, to keep the bangs out of her face. “Hey, how does it look?”

She tilts her head back and forth, the clip shimmering at certain angles. It looks just like Hilda pictured it.

Hilda tries her best not to grin like a complete dork (it just doesn’t suit her), but she thinks she’s failing. “It looks great,” she says, and she means it. “The boys will be absolutely swooning over you.”

Of course, that’s just an excuse, and it always has been. Hilda is smart enough to know by now that Leonie has little interest in boys or what they think of her. Perhaps it’s just that she wanted to bond with her fellow Deer somehow, but up until the subject of accessories came up, she wasn’t quite sure how.

Leonie ignores her comment. She’s probably figured it out by now, too. “Thank you,” she says. “Again. You’re a really sweet person, Hilda, even if you try not to show it.”

Without waiting for a response, Leonie grabs her bow from off her back and returns to her training, her hair clip gleaming as she shoots one arrow after another. There’s a beautifully earnest smile on her face, and Hilda feels something swell in her chest: something like contentment; something like pride.

As she turns around and heads back to her room, the bracelet on her wrist jingles softly against her skin.


End file.
